Chapter 19

"Hey, before you say anything, we know people aren't supposed to be out this way. The Magi kicked Esmeralda from her usual spot and we had to sneak around back! Wait, you're not the bouncers," Reginald said, turning to face them. 

Talus said nothing to the man, merely stepping forward. Reginald involuntarily retreated from the blank shark stare Talus gave him, stammering to find words to speak. He nervously lowered his gaze and furtively looked around, brushing past Talus and briefly glancing back at Esmeralda before fleeing, leaving her behind.

"Reginald, you coward. A man should never abandon a lady. You're lucky I was feeling generous tonight!" Esmeralda shouted, sitting forward and adjusting her bodice to make her ample chest more prominent. The effect was not what she intended, Talus was indifferent to her seduction attempt. Most men would react with revulsion and shy away.

"Leave!" Talus barked a command.

Esmeralda's eyes widened, and she made a sound somewhere between a gasp and a hiccup. Then she burst into laughter, a wheezing bellow that shook her shoulders and caused a half-eaten bread roll to tumble from her bodice and into her lap. The apparent mould on the surface made it questionable how long it had been stored there.

"Okay, okay, I'm going! No need to be so impatient. I need squares to make rent, anyway. On that note, fancy a turn?" Esmeralda suggestively asked. 

Talus got close and menacingly loomed over the woman without saying another word. She got the hint, holding her palms up in surrender and squishing past him as he stood aside. Behind them, the tavern roared louder. Pottery broke, and someone sang a song with no clear melody.

Talus kept walking a short distance away until he stopped at the edge of the elevated wooden walkway. Vorbal hopped up onto a fencepost next to him and tilted his furred head, golden eyes catching the light. There was a swirling of magic and an unnatural bending of the arcane street lamp. In the fat, white and black cat's place, the impossibly slender man with oversized hair sat on the post with crossed feet. He dramatically swished a hand to brush the large pomp from his unchanged eyes.

"It's time I made good on our little rite. A promise is a promise, and I shan't be slack. A new life I give, no need to give it back. Take this tuft of fur, so fine and neat. Keep it close, like a heartbeat's beat. When shadows loom and hope feels lost, this will warm you, whatever the cost. In a twist of fate, in a moment most dire, this humble hair shall stoke your fire. Our tale together reaches its end, but I'm glad I can depart by calling you… a friend," Vorbal softly spoke, the smile on his face strangely peaceful. 

The skinny man reached up to grip a fistful of hair, effortlessly plucking a handful from his thick mane. He neatly wove it together into a keepsake made of three strands knotted together and handed it to Talus. Talus could feel the faint tingle of magic exuding from the braid and accepted it, placing it inside his shirt where the Radiant Blood Flower had been previously.

When Talus looked up, Vorbal had become transparent, glittering with arcane sparkles. His eyes narrowed into gleaming slits as his grin grew wide, the last lingering impression before his body dispersed into light. A trail of shimmering dust swirled upward, carried by the wind across the moonlit marsh, destination unknown. Talus thought he briefly saw the silhouette of a little girl skipping alongside a fat cat before the image disappeared as quickly as it came. 

The Corrupted Fragment has left its mark upon me. What is this emotion I'm feeling? Vorbal sacrificed his last breath to me for three mere trifles. I do not understand his motives. Perhaps, like the old crone, his life was naturally drawing to a close, and he chose to go on his own terms. Nonetheless, I shall hold his keepsake above my heart. A small gesture, one that apparently means something to Humans.

As Talus was heading back inside the tavern, the faint light of a new day painted the sky a pale orange. His foray through the night with Vorbal had lasted until morning. Talus felt the stirring of something unfamiliar, a pang of loss. He had not spent much time with Vorbal, but he was already beginning to feel his absence. 

He made his way into the bar as Thalora led Crow down from upstairs, the bearded man was still rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Did you sleep at all, Talus?" Crow asked, but the sight of Esmeralda snoring loudly next to the bar nearby made him hesitate. A wry smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he made his assumption. "I see you found some company last night." 

Crow gave him a knowing look, nodding toward Esmeralda's slumbering form.

Thalora raised an eyebrow and shot him a sardonic glance, her expression unreadable. 

"Do you ever get any rest?" she asked, her voice laced with mild amusement. 

Talus didn't reply to either of them, not feeling the need to defend himself. He merely retrieved his pack from where someone had tucked it behind the bar. He could feel the familiar tingle of Ether through the fabric, immediately assured that the Myrmekes shell was still inside. At that moment, Bramble burst in through the front door, humming a merry tune.

"Good, you're all awake! I'll roust the rest of 'em and get 'em moving. Just find a spot to settle in. Magi Thalora, do what you gotta do to get us rolling. Feels good to be able to get back on the road. I've been cooped up in Blackroot for long enough," Bramble boomed in a jovial mood. He disappeared, his footsteps thumping up the stairs. "Alright, those of you comin' with me, get your sorry hides outta bed or I'm leaving ya here. I don't care how groggy you are from last night. I drank more than ten of you lightweights put together, and look at me. I'm up and ready to go!"

Heavy fists pounding on doors echoed down the hallway upstairs as Bramble made his way to the back. Aside from that, the crisp morning was quiet as they went outside and began to prepare for their journey. One by one, grave rats emerged from within in various states of alertness, their trademark packs both empty and full depending on their success in offloading their haul in Blackroot before their rushed departure.

The wagon sat idle outside, hitched to a pair of large draft horses standing patiently. Expectant passengers gathered around, preparing to board. The vehicle's frame was sturdy and weatherworn, with iron-bound edges catching the dawn in muted gleams. On its side were deployable sleds, broad and iron-tipped, clearly designed for marsh terrain. They remained folded flat against the side of the wagon for now. Grave rats climbed aboard, murmuring quietly amongst themselves, adjusting their packs and settling into place. 

Talus climbed aboard the wagon, he felt that an air of solemnity had settled over the town. He paused, perched at the entrance, blocking the flow of traffic to look out across the town from his higher vantage point. Several townsfolk had already begun to clean the wreckage from the bell tower's collapse the night before. 

In the distance, Talus could see a familiar door flapping softly in the wind. The inside was dark, but he could vaguely make out the still form of the old crone he had briefly met the night before. Talus had a sudden realisation that Vorbal was more Human than he initially appeared.

Verbal called the old woman his 'sweet Peach'. He knew her time in the Mortal Realm was over, choosing to depart and accompany her soul across the marsh, giving away his final breath to me. This Human attachment does not make sense to me, but the Corrupted Fragment tells me that this is what the emotion 'love' looks like…